penny abbernack (themystic) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-01-26 00:04:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, penelope abbernack, peony min |
thread; penny & peony
Who: Penny & Peony
What: A magic lesson
Where: Penny’s house
When: Backdated: 1/6
Rating: Tame
Status: Complete
Since the attack, Penny had been slowed down considerably. She could hobble about the house a bit, but didn’t really do anything strenuous. Her leg was healing quickly due to the help given by one of Cid’s friends, but other than that, she wasn’t going to be able to take any trips. This is why she was home alone. She’d brewed a cup of tea, made a few different types of sweets, that she couldn’t possibly eat on her own, and sat alone at the small round table in the kitchen. The woman had managed to keep her home presentable by tackling a little of her house at a time. Without Cid around to move things, it had become a lot easier to keep things in order, even if she was running out of things to do to keep her at home. She was becoming restless. The failed meeting with her informant probably meant he had been killed by those beasts in the snowstorm a month ago. She’d been contacted by another person, but it would be a week until they’d be able to speak. Something about not being able to talk about it over tracked channels. To say she was looking forward to her black magic lesson was an understatement to be sure. Fortunately, Peony was a punctual sort of individual; five minutes before the appointed hour, the doorbell rang. She stood on the doorstep bundled up in a heavy cloak and a scarf wrapped up above her nose. Her eyes showed that she was smiling, however, and she carried a rather large bento box wrapped in a blue cloth printed with chrysanthemums. Penny usually went to visit Peony, but it was of no surprise that the bell rang just as she’d managed to sit herself down. The woman usually arrived a little early. While she was still a bit tired, she managed to push herself up and make her way over to the door to let the other woman in. She was greeted with a warm smile before getting ushered in from the cold. “I made a fresh pot of tea.” The lunch the woman was bringing had completely skipped her mind. “And a bunch of other things if you would like to take them and share them with the tower. I would take them myself…” she started, and let that wander off. “Please have a seat.” “I should be saying the same to you,” Peony admonished, already pulling out the other woman’s chair. “Please, sit. I am fully recovered; I can take care of the rest.” The bento set aside, she began the process of divesting herself of her winter wear (no small feat -- under the cloak and scarf, she wore two sweaters and a shawl over her wool dress) and finally settled across from the hostess, having draped the impressive pile of things over the back of a chair. “Tea sounds lovely,” she said, “and I will, of course, transport anything which ought to go back to the tower. You had told me to surprise you with lunch, so I made a variety of things.” She smiled and added, “I hope you will enjoy them, and have something left after the fact. It is best to rest when one is injured or unwell.” She knew it to be true, even if she so rarely followed such sound advice herself. There was a slight resistance to the command, but Penny found herself awkwardly seated at a table with the threat of being served in her own home by someone who didn’t live there. While it made all the sense in the world, it did feel incredibly rude as the woman was feeding her, teaching her, and if she needed anything, would probably insist that she was to do it instead of herself. Peony was quite nurturing, and Penny comforted herself with the knowledge that she didn’t allow this kind of behavior in her home under normal circumstances. She poured a cup of tea for Peony as she took her time removing all of her winter wear. How she managed to stack it all up on the back of the seat had to be a gift as none of it slid away to the floor. “Wonderful. I’ve already packed them for transport.” She could’ve called a number of people to help, she just didn’t feel inclined as the councilor was already scheduled to visit. Once the bento was mentioned, Penny smiled at the woman. “It had actually slipped my mind,” she admitted. “The house has been quiet for some time and I’ve been busying myself with one thing or another. I am looking forward to it none-the-less.” Peony always made the most interesting dishes. Most were delicious, others were acquired tastes. She’d come to love quite a few things through repeated exposure. She would get to it after the lesson, as she’d been sneaking bites of the confections she’d been cooking all day. It would not serve her well to attempt to pay attention while her body fell into a content state of lethargy. She slid a plate of strudel across the table for the woman to partake in, if she so wished. “Thank you,” Peony said, accepting both the tea and the strudel gratefully. Penelope’s baking was always very enjoyable -- and she could understand the feeling of wanting something to occupy one’s time, even when injured. “I am doubly glad to keep you company then. It is always pleasant to combine work and enjoyment.” Spell study, after all, did not have to be dull or unpleasant; most mages she knew tended to find it enjoyable, if challenging. When one added tea and strudel, it became a very favorable way to spend an afternoon indeed. “We can commence the lesson whenever you are ready to begin.” Several lessons in, Penelope’s control was improved to a point where Peony did not worry about the tablecloth winding up accidentally set aflame. “We can start now.” Penny liked to think she was doing well. Peony had a different teaching technique than Cid had. It was easy to follow. Cid’s wasn’t that hard after one got used to the way he talked. There was just no having to get used to what Peony said. In fact, the instruction, she felt, was going much quicker than she was used to, which was good. A woman used to incantations, she found herself using them less with the councilor’s guidance. That was a definite advantage considering her impairment. She was very eager to master the new spell and hoped soon to be able to learn another. The last few fights, she felt more of a burden than an aid to those who were around her. There was no point in using spells that were not effective. “Very well,” Peony said, nodding her acquiescence. It took only a few moments to find a candle to set on the table; she had begun, as always, with the heating of water, but weeks later she was certain that Penelope’s grasp of the elemental forces was sufficient to channel them more fully. As with every lesson, she began with a demonstration (Penelope, of course, had seen Fire cast many times, but it was always helpful to have it fresh in one’s memory before attempting it): the candle flame was lit, then extinguished with a quick, small gust of Aero. Having completed the demonstration, she encouraged, “Show me.” With the candle set on the table before her, it was easy to see where the today's lesson would go. She watched as Peony lit the wick then blew out the flame without touching or breathing on it. The way the black mage used her craft for the simplest tasks was impressive and also puzzling, but Penny didn't focus too much on the fleeting thought. Her attention was to be on her task. She'd heated bowls of water, but they were a much larger surface. The black string that stuck out of the wax was a smaller target. There would need to be more focus. When she was told to demonstrate that she could perform what she had just seen, her face changed from being relaxed to a serious one. She breathed in deep and exhaled slowly. This wouldn't be any different than the last few times. She just needed to channel it into the candle...which started to melt before she stopped herself. Peony watched carefully, noting where the trouble entered into the practice. “Less,” she instructed. “If you recall the water -- the amount of energy you used to make it lukewarm will be sufficient here.” They would move on to larger conflagrations soon, but Peony was a firm believer in starting as small as possible -- it made for better targeting and more competent spellcasting in the end. “Would you like to try again?” she asked. "Less," the blonde said in order to let Peony know she was listening. With a nod, she looked at the candle again. Lukewarm. How much had she channeled to do that. She focused a little less energy through this time and the tip of the candle sparked, but didn't catch. Taking another breath, she took her time narrowing the area she was attempting to lit aflame. She cast again. Exhaling slowly, she felt the magic flow through her and the end of the wick finally caught. Gasping, she smiled. "Ha!" Peony returned her smile, a hint of pride obvious in her features. The age of the student had never mattered -- it was always gratifying to watch someone fully grasp a concept for the first time. “Very good,” Peony said, the praise obviously pleased. “Exactly like that.” She allowed the candle flame to burn for a few moments before extinguishing it once more. “Can you repeat it?” she asked. Five or six reliable castings, and perhaps they could move on to something bigger. "I believe I can," Penny said confidently. Unlike Peony, she had to lean forward and blow the candle out. Repeating the task would not be as difficult now that she'd figured out how it was done. |